Samuel n



S. N. LONG.

GASTER FOR FURNITURE.

No. 77,743, Patented May 12, 1868.

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gems gin-tee getter @ffire SAMUEL N. Lone, o i.1; SOUTHQOHATHAM, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND LINCOLN s. BEARSE, OFBARNSTABLE, mssuonossrrs.

Lem-s Patent No. 11,143, dated May 12, 1868,

IMRROVBD GASTEE FOR FUBNI TUBE.

TO ALE-@WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it lrnown that I, Sutton old. LONG, of South Chatharn, in the county of Burnstable, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Castersfor Furnithre, Trunks, 360., of which the following is a i'ull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making port of this specification, in which- Figure 1 isa central vertical section through, a caster, with my improvements applied thereto.

Figure 2 in. section on the line a; x of fig. 1.

The objcct of my invention is to provide a. caster for various descriptions of furniture, trunks, and other articles, which requirerto be moved frequently from place to-place; and my invention consists in two or more balls, which receive. the weight of the article, and bear upon-and roll over the concave or grooved surface formed in the top of the plate to which the wheel is attached, by which construction the friction is very materially reduced, thus ollowing the nrticleto be moved with extreme facility in any direction,

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use, my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in vwhich I haveearried it out,

In the snid drawings, A represents an upright-pin or spindle, which projects up through the centre of' a.

circular cap, B, formed at the top, and at, the junction of the two arms or bearings a a, which support the shaft 6, upon which the wheel 0 revolves. N I

. Within the circular cap B is formed a circular V-shoped groove, 0, in whicho'. series of sphericolballs, (I C, of hardened steel, is made to r'evolre in the following manner;

1) is a sleeve which fitsloosely around the verticul'pin or spindle A, and has formed at its bottomn circular flange or plate, E, the under side of which is provided with a circular concave groove, 41, of the form seen in section. The portion, c, of this loose sleeve passes up into n. recess of corresponding form, madcjn the'bottom of the leg of the piece of furniture, or in the bottom of each corner of the trunk to which it is applied, the

bottom of the leg or trunk fitting snugly against and bearing down upon the upper s'uri'ace,f,.nf the-flange E, which is thus brought down by the weight so as to beer upon the series of bulls G C.

When the article to which the caster is attached is being moved from place to plpee, the balls are caused to revolve upon their own ores, and at the some this to truvclaround within the V-shhpcd groove c, formed in the circular cup B, and the circular groovc d in the under sidc oi the flange or plate ILwhich hours upon the tops of the halls, bywhich means the friction of the parts is considerably reduced, thereby enabling one to more the article about, with the expenditure of but little power.

The loose sleeve D, with its flange E, may either lit into the recess prepared for it in the leg or corner of the-article, or it may be secured thereto by screws passing through holes g, provided for them in the flange.

F is a circular ring, which encloses the open space. between-the bottom of the flange E and top of the cir color cap B, for the purpose of excluding dirt or -any object which might obstruct the proper aetionof the spherical halls.

Should, however, onysnhstunce enter the V-shoped-groove, it will he carried around by the revolution of.

the balls in the bottom of the groove c,.until it arrives at one of the holes g, which pass through to the bottom oithe cap, and by meonsofwhich the obstruction is allowedto be carried out of the way. 1

An article of considerable weight may lye-readily moved in any direction without licbilityof injuring the door or carpet of the room on which it is placed I am aware that n series of spherical bolls has been used in the construction of furuiture-castersond specially disclaim the construction and arrangement as shown in the patent of J. White, dated December 24,

1867. In Whites manner of using the spherlcal'bcllg, they are caused to roll in a groove in which they snugly fit, and from which dirt cannot escape it it once enters. I Thus, the free movement of the balls may be easily retarded or entirely prevented, while, by my y-shaped groove c, o'ny dust or'other substance entering will be carriedaround in saitlgroove until it reaches one of the holes g, through which it will be carried out, without interruption or damage to the caster.

The; spiodle heretofore in use for casters has had a hearing directly upon the leg of the furniture; as in whltee-jiatent, referred to, and soon wears the hole larger and the lateral play soon inc -eases to'such an extent as" 'to cause the spiudle,-if violently pressed or shaken, to be broken crthrown out of its vertical position, thus rendering the removal of an article from -place to place difiieult. I rivet the top of my spindle to v the top of the loose sleeve D, the-portion, e, of this sleeve passing up into a recess of corresponding form,

f log y, all constructed, arranged, and operating as and for the piu'pose described.

made in the bottom of the leg of the furniture, or bottom of a truhlr, and forming a secure hearing for the spindle A to revolve in, thus preventing any pry or leverage of the spindle in the leg. I

'The caps 01" plates 13 and E are held permanently together by the spindle A, am} the nut used by J. White in his patentis dispensed with, thus simplifying the caster and reducing its cost.

' Claim.- What I claim as my invention, and desii'e to secure by Letters Patent, is- The combination of the sleeve D with the spindle A, with the plate 13, having the groove c and the open SAMUEL N, LONG.

Witnesses:

N. W; STEAHNS, P. E. TESGHEMACHER. 

